MERCEDES – A dozen students organized a spring break warning through a mock T-bone accident on Thursday.

“We do hope that they [peers] learn that texting and driving is an issue,” says Mercedes High School senior Jasmine Ortiz. “It can be fatal. Sometimes depending on where you are and how fast you are going.”

Four actors were divided into two cars.

One yelled, “You should have put your phone down!” as they waited on one fire unit, two ambulances, and at least four Mercedes police units to zoom onto the grassy area outside the school.

 Meanwhile, students gathered outside and watched.

The test victims were eventually wheeled by stretchers into the high school gym turned “trauma center”.

Each agency collaborated with high school seniors Davan Saldana and Jasmine Ortiz for this no texting and driving Capstone Project.

“As STEM students, we are required to create a project that will help our community and our grade depends on what we do,” says Saldana. “Hopefully, we got an ‘A’. This car crash, of course, was staged but the next time they see it, it won’t be.”

After the drill, students took part in an assembly where Med Care- EMS Special Projects person Paul Vazaldua provided the stats.

The National Safety Council reports cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes a year. They calculate one out of every 4 accidents in the U.S. is caused by texting and driving.

According to the council, 11 teens die every day as a result of texting while driving.